Immigrant victim of police torture passes away in Athens

A brutal incident of police violence occurred on the evening of September 26, 2009 in Nikaia, Athens. The victim a 25 year old immigrant, who died on October 10, 2009 of his wounds.

Petros Constantinou of the movement "Together against racism and the fascist threat", talked to tvxs about the events that caused Pakistanis' Mohammed Kamran Atif death.

On 26 September 2009, at 01.30 at night, 15 police officers raided the house of the young immigrant at 82 Ilioupoleos str., Nikaia, shouting and beating both himself and his family. The neighboors who witnessed the incident say that the deceased was just semi-conscious, and that while he was being carried out of his house his head kept banging on the stairs while he and his family were getting off the house crawling. Against him there was a complaint for child beating.

He was then taken to the Nicaia police station, which turned into a torture chamber. Kamran remained in detention for two days. The charge against him remained ungrounded, and the complainant withdrew his charge . Kamran was then released and he himself described to his family the horrific moments he had gone through. "He was tied hand and foot and banged with clubs and then subjected to electroshock with wires on his hands and knees" is the testimony of Kamran's amily.

Both the family and the neighbors knew about the abuse Kamran had suffered. Fear kept him away from the hospital since Kamran had no documents.

The police tried to cover up the incident. Kamran's brother was pressured and misled to testify that his brother brought no bruises when he left the police station.